Display device



March 1957 R. H. STEENLAND 2,733,554

DISPLAY DEVICE Filed June 27,- 1955 INVENTOR. Edward. Jleen/wd wfwm ATOBNEY DISPLAY DEVICE Richard H. Steenland, Lodi, N. J. Application June 2 7, 1 955, Seria l No. 517,982

3 Claims. or. 40-96) This invention relates to a display device and more particularly to a device having a plurality of continuously connected transparent planes.

It is an objective of this invention to provide a display device having continuously connected transparent planes.

It is another objective to provide a display device wherein the transparent planes may be continuously or intermittently moved to present many ditferent three or more dimensional pictures.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following descriptive disclosure taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one form of this invention and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of another embodiment of this invention.

Many advertising devices have been made having transparent planes with scenes thereon and placed one plane behind another to obtain the illusion of depth. However, all such devices have had separate or individual planes.

This invention employes a single continuous ribbon of transparent plastic, for example, modified Cellophane upon which a plurality of varying scenes are printed. This continuous ribbon of plastic may be connected to an electrical motor to intermittently move the entire ribbon a selected distance. However, the ribbon may be stationary or woven into the top and bottom, or alternatively from one side to the other side of a box having slits therein adapted to receive said ribbon.

Turning to Fig. 1, a continuous ribbon of flexible transparent plastic such as Cellophane, cellulose acetate, etc. is provided with a plurality of scenes thereon. Preferably the scenes are as many in number as there are vertical or substantially vertical planes or dimensions to be transviewed by the eye of a viewer.

Thus in Fig. 1 there are six planes, A through F, each portraying a diiferent panoramic scene giving the illusion of six planes of depth. While a plurality of planes are preferred, two planes will suffice as a minimum number.

The planes A through F are preferably vertically dis posed but they need not be so as a plane may be completely or partly angularly disposed as for example plane C, to obtain unique advertising effects such as reflection of a scene in water, or a stream of water, etc.

Turning to Fig. l, the ribbon 10 is preferably provided with sprocket holes 1 adapted to receive sprocket teeth 12 of sprocket wheel 13. The sprocket wheel is disposed on a shaft 14 to which a hand Wheel crank 15 is attached.

In lieu of wheel crank 15, a conventional electrical motor (not shown) adapted for intermittent operation may be secured to shaft 14 for intermittently shifting the sequence of scenes. Thus one sequence of scenes may Also a conventional light 16 may be employed, although the use of sunlight for a lighting source is operable.

The planes need not be vertical, so that various illusory advertising effects become possible. Thus water may be cascaded down an inclined plane to give' the effect of a natural stream or rain.

The continuous ribbon 10 may be motivated by means of a frictional engagement with a rubber covered roll (not shown) in place of the sprocket wheel and hole arrangement shown.

However, the sprocket arrangement advances the rib bon positively and is the preferred means of moving the ribbon. Moreover, two sprocket wheels may be used on shaft 14, one on each end thereof in which case both edges of the ribbon 10 will be provided with coacting sprocket teeth receiving holes 11.

The ribbon 10 is woven tortuously over tensioning rollers 17 disposed in a parallel disposed wall support. Preferably the tensioning rolls 17 are disposed so as not to be visible, but the rolls may optionally be very thin or provided with color or scenic indicia to blend into the panorama selected, especially where the planes are angled for obtaining a scenic eifect.

The inner surfaces of the walls or support structure into which the rolls 17 fit may be painted with fluorescent paint or they may be provided with advertising legends if so desired. Also the advertising legend may be disposed on the successive planes to give depth thereto.

This invention also embraces the embodiment shown in Fig. 2. In this embodiment the continuous strip or ribbon 20 is woven through longitudinal slits 21 slightly longer than strip 20 is wide disposed in the top wall 22 and the bottom wall 23 of an enclosure, preferably a rectangular box 24.

The front wall 25 is partly cut away to permit a sight aperture 26 and the rear wall 27 is preferably provided with a suitable conventional light source 28.

The embodiment of Fig. 2, may also be provided with vertical or inclined panels H through K. The ends or the ribbon 20 need not be secured together in the embodiment of Fig. 2 and they may be stapled, glued or otherwise permanently secured to the bottom wall 23. Thus in the form of Fig. 2, the continuous ribbon 20 is permanently fixed and immovable.

One of the big advantages of this device is that the continuous strip 10 or 20 may be printed with all the scenes as a unit, thereby avoiding the expensive printing of many separate panels.

This invention has been disclosed generically by means of several embodiments but it is not to be limited to these embodiments as it is an invention of broad scope.

I claim:

1. A multiple dimension display device adapted for presenting a plurality of vertically disposed stationary scenes in depth relationship comprising a continuous film having mating scenes thereon in predetermined spaced apart and consecutive relationship, said scenes be appropriate and pro-determined spaced-apart-scenes there on whereby said -scenes- -are disposedin vertical spacedapart relationship in saidbox .toproduce --a' composite picture ofdepth,=and means disposed in said'rear-wall for transmitting light through the parallel disposed fil'r'n.

3. A multi-dir'nensional' display device comprising a stationary transparent continuousfil'm -dis'posed in a plurality of Consecutive verticalparallekdisposed'planesone behind another, said vertical planes having pictures thereon forming a composite picture of visual depth, and means for holding the film planes in continuous spaced-apart relationship.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,031,542 Fielding July 2, 1912 2,149,779 Kroner ...-.....t. Mar. 7, 1939 FOREIGN. PATENTS 448,968 Germany Sept. 2, 1927 5771601 France "June; 6, 1924 

